Fields submerged: Farmers demand compensation, reconstruction of bandaras

Team Herald

PONDA:  While the rest of the State is celebrating Diwali, the village of Kundaim not in a festive mood as they discovered that months of hard work has been in vain. Disheartened farmers were frustrated as possibly for the first time, according to them, the riverside bandara was breached at four places, which accompanied by the heavy rains, rising water levels and cyclone Kyaar, has destroyed their crops. 

As per their prediction, they have suffered losses due to their fields being entirely submerged under water, which amount to above Rs 25 lakh.  It is to be noted that there are similar complaints from farmers across Goa about their inundated and damaged fields. 

The distressed farmers, called on media persons to have a look at the conditions.  They have called on the government to reconstruct all the broken bandaras alongside the river and provide compensation for the losses suffered. They showed the spots on the bandara where it had been breached and how the river water was gushing onto their fields.  

Kundaim Sarpanch Ramu Naik has called on the government to help the farmers and provide relief.  While pointing out that the mamlatdar and soil conservation officials had inspected the fields, he said if the bandaras are not repaired, the farmers will not be able to cultivate crops for the next season. He pointed out that Marcaim MLA Sudin Dhavalikar had helped them by providing power tiller, harvesting machines and fertilizers but lamented that the overflowing rains and heavy rains and wiped out all their efforts. He added that this is a matter of the farmer’s livelihood.  Farmers also pointed that they had spent all their funds on repairing the bandaras in the past and now they do not have money to make the necessary repairs.   They recall that they had repaired it as recently as last month. Further, the breaches on the bandara were so big in size that they were unable to protect water entering their khazan fields. “Our main demand is that the government should reconstruct the bandaras on the river side to protect the field as if this is not done, these fields will remain fallow in the future,” Naik added. 

The farmers also rued the fact that the salinity levels were high, which would have also caused some damage in the 300-acre paddy field.

Out of the 350 farmers at Chikalpayan, Kundaim, the situation for 250-odd farmers took a turn for the worse since October 25 when the State started to feel the effects of the cyclone.  

A group of senior farmers; all aged seventy plus and still active, expressed their helplessness at what they claimed was an unprecedented situation.  

Datta Shivram Naik, Chandrakant Naik, Janu Gaude, Thanu Zalmi and Tulso Gaude reiterated that the government should address their concerns immediately as their next paddy cultivation season begins in November.  “We may be old but we still work hard to cultivate our paddy fields. This is what we love to do and our way of life. We can’t imagine a scenario where our fields are fallow and we cannot cultivate our fields. We have survived in the past when it comes to nature’s fury, but now the younger generation stays away and we need help,” said the farmers.